Germany will claim justice was done 44 years after England benefited from the doubt at Wembley. The difference is when the Soviet linesman was working the line there were no reliable aids to determine the trajectory of Geoff Hurst’s shot that cannoned down off the bar.

Lampard scored a valid goal in the 39th minute that would have brought England level. The shameful, avoidable error had a material impact on the outcome.

In rugby and cricket cameras are deployed successfully in support of the referee to determine the rectitude of decisions. By denying teams that possibility, Fifa are perpetrating injustice for no apparent good.

The linesman was doing his job in that he was in line with the most advanced player, Lampard, but he could not keep pace with the ball to adjudge if it had crossed the line. Not his fault. He can only give what he sees. That’s precisely the point. He could not see it.

The cameras did, and pinpointed the ball’s position accurately without the loss of time. A fourth official would have taken seconds to inform the referee. So why are cameras not allowed to decide? This is the question that Fifa must address without delay.

England had no-one to blame but themselves for the goals conceded. They had dominated possession yet found themselves in deficit as a consequence of two calamitous defensive errors.

The final third is the hardest part of the field in which to work, unless England are defending it, in which case they make it as easy as possible for the opposition to score.

Miroslav Klose’s goal was a classic from the old Wimbledon handbook; big punt up field from the goal kick, one bounce over the sleeping centre-half’s head (Matthew Upson) and bang, 1-0.

The second was not much better, Glenn Johnson being dragged into the middle leaving the right-back spot to Lukas Podolski, who had time to take a touch before sending the ball past David James.

Upson atoned five minutes later converting Steven Gerrard’s cross. They did not deserve to go into the break a goal behind. David Beckham played the cheerleader clapping them down the tunnel trying to raise spirits.

The third goal was scored on the counter with England committed. David James might have done better at his near post. The goal, like Fifa’s stoneage thinking, distorted what might have been a very different picture. It was carnage after that.